


Additional Charges

by Small_Hobbit



Series: Tales from the Broom Cupboard [7]
Category: Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Genre: Community: holmes_minor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-01
Updated: 2016-04-01
Packaged: 2018-05-30 13:38:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6426082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Small_Hobbit/pseuds/Small_Hobbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mrs Hudson is outling the additional charges to Mr Holmes' rent this month</p>
            </blockquote>





	Additional Charges

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the "Small and Confined Spaces" prompt on LJ's Holmes Minor
> 
> With thanks to Frankles for [Canon Discussion: The Mazarin Stone](http://sherlock60.livejournal.com/560846.html) and Gardnerhill for [The Red Circle: Location Scouts](http://sherlock60.livejournal.com/548704.html) for the inspiration.

Dear Mr Holmes,  
  
Please find hereunder reasons for the additional charges included in your revised bill for this month’s rent:  
  
 **Item:**  Temporary loss of friendship with Mrs Warren.  It took a good deal of tea to persuade her I could in no way have known how my lodgers would treat her box room when they rented it.  It took an even greater amount of gin for her to recover from said treatment.  
  
 **Item:** Hiring out of my, MY broom cupboard.  There is a clause in your lease which expressly forbids sub-leasing.  Since you were not renting the broom cupboard, I have added a charge for one year’s rent of the broom cupboard, payable in advance.  At the end of the year, I shall include broom cupboard rent in a similar fashion to the rent for the lumber room.  And before you mention it again, I shall continue to charge for cleaning the lumber room, even though it is impossible to enter it.  
  
 **Item:** My share in the hire charge.  This is only an estimate, please let me know the exact figures.  When Inspector Gregson paid me for his latest visit I checked with him as to how much the agreed rate had been.  I am working on the assumption of a flat rate per visit.  I believe one-third of the hire charge is reasonable, given the aggravation this has caused me.  
  
 **Item:** Charge for time taken due to upset to housemaid.  Inspector Gregson and the nice Pinkerton agent Leverton have always been extremely polite and considerate, and, since we are unlikely to avoid the constant arrival and departure of police officers, are welcome to return.  Count Silvius, on the other hand, was extremely rude to both myself and the maid, who needed consoling with several cups of tea.  (I did not permit her to sample the gin; I had need of that myself.)  Inspector Youghal did not seem too bad, but one does tend to judge a man on the company he keeps.  
  
 **Item:**  Hurt feelings caused due to your exclamation of “Good God, woman, your charges are ridiculous!” when presented with your bill.  Dr Watson is not being charged for this, since he merely swallowed and said, “Oh!” rather quietly.  
  
I would remind you again, since Mrs Warren has terminated your lease on her box room, the broom cupboard is for use in storing brooms, mops, buckets and other items of a similar nature.  It is not for storing detective inspectors.  Nor is it a suitable place for playing Hide and Seek, as Inspector Hopkins told me, when I found him there.  I have already asked Dr Watson to tell Inspector Lestrade the broom cupboard is no place for playing Sardines.  
  
I believe this should resolve your present difficulties and look forward to prompt payment.  
  
Yours sincerely  
  
M Hudson (Mrs)  
  


 


End file.
